When I Woke Up This Morning...

This morning I woke up two times. The first time I awoke, looked at the clock and noted the time. It was about 7:20. I decided to close my eyes for a few minutes, and make it an even 7:30. When I next opened my eyes the clock said 8:25. I was all alone in the bedroom, and had somehow lost an entire hour!

Somehow, I found all this to be rather alarming. I quickly got out of bed, donned my robe, and headed out to the living room. I heard laughter and turned my head towards the dining area and the kitchen. Pa was standing there, laughing at me, saying I looked like I was late for the bus. My children were nowhere to be seen. I glanced outside and saw them playing. Wow! I really slept in!

I grabbed a cup of coffee, and sipped on that, waiting for my body and mind to wake up enough to comprehend all that had just happened. Lindsay looked in my direction. I waved, and she, smiling, waved back, at which time Nathan turned, and with a big smile on his face, he waved as well.

It was a little while before the kids came in to greet me. They were busy hunting slugs. Yesterday's moisture brought those slimy things out in force, so the hunt wasn't exactly a difficult one.

For those in other regions, who may be unfamiliar with this particular species of slug, commonly known as the Banana Slug, perhaps a short descriptive note would be called for. These things are huge, and ugly! I've seen them sliding their way along the side of the house, stretched out in all their glory to perhaps a full 10 inches long. Our first year on this property, Nathan, about 4 years of age renamed these slugs. That year he declared them, "The Great American Poop Slug"

With all the rain and heavy mist yesterday, I figured the kids would probably opt to stay inside and read, or perhaps do something a bit more crafty. They had other ideas. They spent most of yesterday outside, hunting and finding legions of huge, disgusting banana slugs. Once caught, the slugs were corralled into a common area of the driveway. The slugs were provided with plenty of fresh greenery to keep them happily munching in one place while more slugs were collected and added to the ever growing slimy population. Once the kids determined they had collected enough slugs, the slimy slug slaughter began. Nathan stood back and watched, as Lindsay hopped on her bike and began riding through the masses. They're all fertilizer now!

Evidently, prior to the slaughter, the slugs had managed to send for reinforcements. This morning, there were plenty more to deal with. Is there no end to them? Will my tender shoots of lettuce, spinach and green beans ever be safe from these relentless marauding forces with an apparently insatiable appetite?

This year, I've decided we are going to spend the entire Fall and Winter seasons collecting, pulverizing, and saving in a container chosen exclusively for this purpose, all the eggshells we can come up with. We may even increase our consumption of eggs for this purpose. Next year, I have every intention of forming a protective powdery egg shell barrier around the perimeter of each of our gardens. One way or another, we will win the slimy slug battle! 2009 will be the year we claim victory!!